The Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences promotes innovative, excellent, problem-oriented research that aspires to contribute to societal debates and address key global challenges. The cohorts trained and supported by the ViDSS are part of the vibrant research environment at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Vienna. The ViDSS aims for the highest standards in doctoral training and close supervision to ensure a mastery of social scientific debates and relevant theories and methods.

Your personal sphere of influence:

With the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme the ViDSS currently offers two positions for doctoral candidates in the social sciences. sowi:docs Fellowships are individual scholarships which give outstanding doctoral candidates the opportunity to devote full-time effort to their research and to writing their doctoral thesis. We welcome applications in the fields of communication, demography, development studies, nursing studies, political science, science and technology studies, social and cultural anthropology, and sociology.

Starting date: between 1 December 2025 and 1 March 2026

The employment duration is 3 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 3 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.

Your future tasks:

• You work on your doctoral thesis project
• You sign a doctoral thesis agreement within 9–12 months
• You participate in teaching and independent teaching of courses as defined by the collective agreement
• You participate in administration

This is part of your personality:

• Above-average MA or equivalent in a field of study relevant for the open position
• Deep interest in and enthusiasm for scientific work
• High level of motivation and commitment to successfully complete his/her doctoral studies within the anticipated time frame
• Collaborative, team-minded and pro-active attitude
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Excellent English language skills (written and oral)
• You need to secure the support of at least one supervisor who is a member of the ViDSS. For a list of supervisors at the ViDSS, please visit our website. It is a requirement that the relevant faculty member has already accepted you as a doctoral candidate when you submit your application.
• If you are already a doctoral candidate in the Social Sciences at the University of Vienna, you must have been admitted no earlier than in the winter semester of 2024/2025. Applicants who have already been working on their doctoral thesis in a funded position before October 2024 (at the University of Vienna or elsewhere) OR who have already completed a doctoral degree are not eligible.

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely. 

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace is easily accessible by public transport.

Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 3,714,80 (on a full-time basis) increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality!

Application documents:

• Letter of motivation: Describe your previous academic achievements, your mid-term career goals and your motivation for the subject area you chose. Include the name of the supervisor at the ViDSS who has accepted you as a doctoral candidate.
• CV in tabular form (no more than three pages including a list of publications, if available)
• Degree certificates (incl. transcripts) of previously completed university degree programmes
• Abstract of the research proposal (no more than 250 words including a working title of the doctoral thesis project)
• Research proposal (no more than 4,000 words not including references, font size of 11pt, 1.5 line spacing): A research proposal for the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme must include:
  • Current state of research and positioning of the research project
  • Academic goals and methodological approach
  • Ethical considerations
  • Work schedule and required financial and material expenses
  • Preliminary bibliography

To facilitate double-blind review, please remove any identifying information, such as your name, from your research proposal before submission.

• Positive statement/s from your future supervisor/s: Following the submission of your application, your supervisor/s at the ViDSS will be asked to complete and submit a form containing a set of questions about you and your doctoral thesis project. The deadline for the submission of this statement is 11 May 2025. Your application is not complete and will not be considered without a statement from one of your supervisors at the ViDSS. Please note that each ViDSS faculty member can only support ONE candidate per annual call.

For more information about the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme please visit our website.